Multiple tornadoes tore through Kentucky and Indiana on Tuesday and caused extensive destruction that included damaged gas lines that sprayed gas “everywhere.”
Most of Kentucky was under a tornado watch or warning Tuesday as severe storms struck the region, including the Louisville area. Damage from the storms was visible after they cleared, and the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that an EF1 tornado caused damage in Nelson, Anderson and Jessamine counties, Spectrum News 1 reported.
The storm was strong enough to flip cars and damage structures and gas lines.
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“We saw cars moving, a box truck flipped over across the street, roofs collapsed, gas lines spraying gas everywhere, pretty destructive [for] maybe four or five minutes,” said Ryan Adams, a business owner in the area, according to the Spectrum News 1 report.
Adams took shelter within his business when the tornado arrived. He described the sound as a freight train rolling through the building, although the business didn’t sustain major damage.
At least one person was killed by weather-related events on Tuesday.
“Gov. Andy Beshear says the state has confirmed 1 weather-related death from yesterday,” Lexington Herald-Leader reporter Austin Horn posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday afternoon. “Says it took place in the context of a car accident in Campbell County “when the first line of strong storms” came through. He believes it was a young man.”
Gov. Andy Beshear says the state has confirmed 1 weather-related death from yesterday. Says it took place in the context of a car accident in Campbell County “when the first line of strong storms” came through. He believes it was a young man.
— Austin Horn (@_AustinHorn) April 3, 2024
Videos and photos of the destruction were shared widely across social media on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Unbelievable devastation caused by a strong tornado near Pendleton, Kentucky! Multiple cars flipped, a house thrown into the woods, and extensive tree damage. Nature’s power is truly awe-inspiring,” Chicago & Midwest Stormchasers posted on X.
The storms wreaked havoc elsewhere too, such as in Lexington, Kentucky. A student was blown off their feet while walking to class on the University of Kentucky campus.
NWS Louisville said that teams are still conducting damage surveys in the region. NWS meteorologist Ron Steve told Newsweek that six tornadoes have been confirmed so far, four in Kentucky and two in Indiana.
An EF1 tornado with windspeeds of 105 miles per hour was confirmed in Prospect, Kentucky. An EF1 tornado with windspeeds of 100 miles per hour was confirmed in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
A survey team identified damage consistent with that of a tornado in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and gave the storm a preliminary rating of EF1, with windspeeds of 95 miles per hour.
Steve said the findings are still preliminary.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.